THE JOURNAL

Goals | March

I have to admit that there were some things I wanted to accomplish from my February goals that I just didn't end up getting around to. I was initially a little disappointed by this, but then I remembered that these aren't just goals for the month, but for the rest of the year as well. I'm still in a process of achieving and acting out these goals and there isn't a time constraint to them. I can keep pursuing them even after their specific month is up. That was my original intent anyway was it not?For March I was definitely inspired by The Happiness Project and Gretchen's March goals and mine are very nearly the same. So there isn't too much originality with this month, but I think these are super important and even reflect January's goals to a certain extent, at least in the work aspect of things. I think I'm almost looking at this month's goals as a mid year boost if you will, to remember and continue on with my goals from the last two months. A passage from The Happiness Project that I found particularly motivating was this one:

"There's a common belief that happiness and ambition are incompatible. Many ambitious people I've known seem eager to claim that they aren't happy, almost as a way to emphasize their zeal, in echo of Andrew Carnegie's observation "Show me a contented man, and I'll show you a failure." Perhaps the happiness-thwarting feelings of dissatisfaction, competitiveness, and jealousy are neccessary goads for ambition. If I remained ambitious, was it impossible to be happy? If my project made me happier, would I become complacent? Was the arrival falacy an important mechanism to keep me striving? Studies show that many creative, influential people in the arts and public life score above average in 'neuroticism' (i.e., they have greater propensity to experience negative emotions); this doscontent arguably urges them to higher acievement. Other studies, however, show that people tend to think more flexibly and with more complexity when they're feeling happy. But whatever a wide-ranging study might show about the connection between ambition and happiness generally, I realized that for my own part, I was much more likely to take risks, reach out to others, and expose myself to rejection and failure when I felt happy."

This is very similar to how I am and the way that I work, so I'm going to keep this in mind as I tackle perfecting my work routine this month as well as remain ambitious and aiming higher in other non work related areas of my life.

Wish me luck!

March | Aim HigherAim For Something Specific

Write down and finalize core values and share them. Have a clear direction for why I do what I do.

By doing a little bit each day you can get a lot accomplished.

Remind myself often to "Be Leney". Stay true to my vision of any given project.

I often have an idea of who I wish I were, and that obscures my understanding of who I actually am.

I want to bring more energy, creativity and efficiency to my work life.

Remind myself how lucky I am to have the opportunity and ability to be as eager for Monday mornings as I am for Friday afternoons. Because I get to do what I love.

Challenge and novelty are key elements to happiness. The brain is stimulated by surprise, and successfully dealing with an unexpected situation gives a powerful sense of satisfaction. This is one of the many paradoxes of happiness: We seek to control our lives, but the unfamiliar and the unexpected are important sources of happiness.

Start planning and designing the new pieces for the shop in the fall and come up with a game plan for creating inventory throughout the year and being more prepared for the busy season and holidays.

Re-write and update some of my About-Me sections on various social media.

Enjoy The Fun of Failure

"Enthusiasm is more important to mastery than innate ability." -Gretchen Rubin

I'm often afraid of failure. And while it doesn't often prevent me from doing something, it does take me a lot longer than it should to initially build up the motivation and courage to do it. So remind myself that in order to have more success, I need to be willing to accept more failure.

Failure is part of being ambitious and part of being creative. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing badly.

Risking failure gives you the opportunity to score some success.

People don't notice your mistakes as much as you think they do.

Goals are much easier to tackle when you're in a happier state of mind. And often, once you've accomplished the goal itself, it then in turn becomes an engine for happiness itself.

Work Smart

Consider the way I spend my time. Are there pockets of time that I could use more efficiently?

Wake up early. It's easier to get things done earlier because there are fewer interruptions. I've let my good sleeping habits slip over the last month, get back into them!

Figure out in which environment I best work in and when.

Find out new ways to incorporate novelty and challenge into my work routine.

What inspires me to work? Make more time for those things and make them priorities. For example: Art Galleries, adventuring and exploring new places, reading blogs, books and magazines, getting dressed in the morning (only stay in yoga pants if I'm actually going to Yoga...) and a clean work space.

Enjoy Now

"The arrival fallacy" is the belief that when you arrive at a certain destination, you'll be happy. It is a fallacy because, though you may anticipate great happiness in arrival, arriving rarely makes you as happy as you anticipate. Additionally, arrival often brings more work and responsibility. It's rare to achieve something that brings unadulterated pleasure without added concerns. The challenge therefor is to take pleasure in an atmosphere of growth. In the gradual progress made toward a goal, in the present.

If I can enjoy the present I don't need to count on the happiness that is (or isn't) waiting for me in the future.

Have the mindset that the fun part doesn't come later, now is the fun part.